Deborah Levine, Ph.D.

Chair and Associate Professor 
Physical Science 
School of Science, Technology and Education 
410-777-1280 
[email protected]

Education

Doctor of Philosophy 
Astronomy 
University of California, Los Angeles

Master of Science 
Physics 
University of Washington

Bachelor of Science  
Physics 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Certificate 
Life and Engagement Coach 
Anne Arundel Community College

Interests

• Jewelry fabrication
• Poetry
• Equestrian events (She used to compete in dressage and three-day eventing.)
• Animals

A Little More

When Deborah Levine came to interview for her job at AACC, she had just gotten off a red-eye flight from Los Angeles after another job interview in southern California, where she lived at the time. As she drove across the Severn River, she was captivated by its beauty and the surrounding area's greenness. On campus, she couldn't help but notice her favorite color – teal – was everywhere. Her first cup of cream of crab soup was what sealed the deal for her to accept the job at AACC, where she's taught since 2017.  

"I primarily teach introductory general education astronomy courses, which students are taking because they need a science," she said. "I love convincing at least some of them that science is cool and fun."  

She's also an advisor to the Super Sciences Club and leads events about astronomy that give the public the chance to use the college's telescopes in the campus observatory.  

Before coming to AACC, Levine worked for Caltech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, designed and managed operations for teams at the Spitzer Space Telescope Science Center (SSC) and served as the U.S. resident astronomer for the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory. In 2021, she was selected for NASA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors, a professional development program for science teachers designed to improve science teaching and increase student learning and STEM engagement.  

But Levine has a creative side, too. Although she majored in physics as an undergraduate student, she completed most of the coursework for the creative writing major as a short fiction author. She's a published poet who says she "dreams in sonnet form." Her first work appeared in Bay to Ocean Journal 2023.  

"Creativity is important to me, as is making a difference, integrity and curiosity."  

Levine lives in Stevensville with one cat, two parrots, seven chickens and the neighbor's rooster.